When in...Edgbaston
When in...Edgbaston
Neptune Edgbaston is our 28th store to open, and also happens to be our first in the Midlands. You’ll find us just outside Birmingham’s centre, on the leafy but lively Harborne Road.
Here we’ve pulled together some of our favourite things to do and places to eat and drink in the Edgbaston area, as well as a few a short drive away. So, whether you’re visiting for the day, or you know Edgbaston like the back of your hand, we hope we’ll have included some ideas for turning your trip to us into a whole day out.
To do
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens
A short walk from Neptune Edgbaston will bring you to The Birmingham Botanical Gardens. With four glasshouses and a traditional bandstand, it feels distinctly like a Victorian park. It’s a charming place for a stroll in summer, or to warm up in its tropical and Mediterranean greenhouses in the cooler months.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Birmingham is home to many notable galleries, but The Barber Institute has perhaps the widest collection. Here you can see paintings from the likes of Turner, Rubens, Monet, Van Gogh and Botticelli, as well as a collection of over 16,000 coins. The Art Deco building itself also makes it well worth a visit, and as it sits alongside the University of Birmingham, you can take the opportunity to have a look around the campus too.
Also to be found on the University’s campus is this delightful example of an Edwardian suburban home. The Arts and Crafts style house is surrounded by gardens laid out by the first owners, Margaret and John Nettlefold, in the style of Gertrude Jekyll. There are woodland and rhododendron walks, and a walled garden which features a ‘crinkle-crankle’ wall (an unusual design that follows the line of a wave to give structure to the single brick depth). Winterbourne’s interior has been sympathetically restored to how it might have looked when it was first built, with William Morris wallpapers and Edwardian furnishings. There are even several printing presses, which are demonstrated by volunteers every Friday.
To shop
This skincare brand was founded on the belief that there’s no need for synthetic ingredients when natural ones can be equally as good, if not better. They still create all their balms, soaps and candles in Birmingham, and have two stores to visit – one in the centre’s Great Western Arcade, and the other in the nearby suburb of Kings Heath. It’s in the latter, their flagship store, that you can also indulge in one of their face or body treatments, and take part in a traditional candle-making workshop.
Ikon is another of the city’s galleries, this time with a focus on contemporary art. But it’s their bookshop that we’re especially fond of, with its extensive art-themed collection of coffee table tomes and exhibition catalogues to linger over. There’s also a whole section of ‘Made in the Midlands’ books, music and objects, as well as limited-edition art for sale.
To eat
Another of Birmingham’s Michelin-starred restaurants, Simpsons, is also just around the corner. The food is as bright and as fresh as the interior (and includes both vegetarian and children’s menus every bit as delicious as their main offering). Outside, there’s even a small garden for pre-supper aperitifs.
The Plough is one of our favourite places nearby for a laidback meal – especially Sunday brunch. Their speciality is comfort food at its very best. The friendly atmosphere is like that of a village pub, but with an edge that’s lively, suitably urban, and quite fun.
